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Week 15 NFL Picks: Bears 101′s Game Predictions

December 16th, 2012 at 10:55 AM By PJ Foti

Week 15 just may be the most interesting week in the history of the NFL. There will be six games taking place with major playoff implications. That means there will be 12 teams in action against each other this week, and all 12 of those teams have a shot at the playoffs. We'll pick those games one-by-one at the end, but first we'll review last week's games.

It was a rough wee for us at Bears 101 as we went 7-8. It's funny because we lost a lot of the games we thought were sure things, and won our upset picks. But hey, that's why they play the game. In total, we're now 118-73-1 on the year, which isn't great, but we'll take it.

On Thursday night, the Cincinnati Bengals went into Philly in a must-win game and took home the "W." Many were taking the Eagles after last week's last second win at Tampa Bay. However, Cincy has a much better pass defense than Tampa, and it showed as Nick Foles struggled to get going Thursday.

Let's get into the rest of Week 15.

No RG3 for the Redskins will equal trouble. Even though they were able to come back and win against Baltimore, we like the Cleveland Browns to play spoiler against Washington.

We like the Minnesota Vikings to keep their playoff hopes alive, while squashing the hopes of the Rams. Speaking of squashing playoff hopes, we think the New Orleans Saints will end the hopes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As usual, there are always a few dud games, so we'll list them now. We like the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs to win their respective games.

Although Monday night seems like a dud, the New York Jets still have an outside playoff chance, and we think they'll keep their hopes alive — just barely.

Now, for what makes Week 15 so special. The next set of games will be between playoff contenders. The first time so many games between playoff contenders will be taking place at once.

First, the Atlanta Falcons have struggled as of late, and the New York Giants look to be hitting their typical late season groove. Look for the G-Men to steal one in the Georgia Dome to lock up their spot in the NFC East.

The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers are currently on the outside looking in, but both with realistic chances to make the playoffs. We think Dallas will come away with the win in this one though, as it's still tough to trust Ben Roethlisberger coming back from his injury.

The New England Patriots will face off against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday night, and it's another week the Pats will face a top team. Look for them to continue their roll and beat San Fran, who hasn't looked the same since Colin Kaepernick has taken over full time.

The Houston Texans can win the division by beating the Indianapolis Colts. However, the Colts are home, and if Chuck Pagano is back on the sidelines, how can you pick against them?

The NFL was really hoping to see Peyton Manning vs Ray Lewis, but Lewis will be inactive in today's game. We like the Denver Broncos to beat the Ravens here, even with Lewis on the field.

Lastly, we have the NFC North showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. The Bears have struggled mightily recently, and the Packers have been one of the hottest teams in the league. We like Green Bay to all but take the division today.

That's it for this week, and it should be a slate of memorable games as we rapidly approach the playoffs.